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Monday, August 21, 2017

The review tour for Embers of Fire (Guardian Witch Legacy Book 1) kicks off today! This is the first book in a continuations series to Ally's amazing seven book Guardian Witch series. Make sure you check out the reviews and enter the GIVEAWAY for a $25 Amazon Gift Card and a cool handmade bookmark!

Following
the defeat of the vampire elders, Guardian fire witch Arianna Calin and vampire
prince Andreas De Luca are considering moving to his estates in Italy to raise
their daughter in its idyllic setting. As if being descended from two powerful
witch bloodlines wasn't challenging enough, Rayne was born with a mysterious
star tattoo on her shoulder. Her parents suspect she is the Chosen, the focus
of the Star of Esielen prophecy. But that's something to worry about in the
distant future. Isn't it? After all, their child may be precocious, but she is
only five.

Then
the murders begin. The stench of demonic activity hangs over Olde Town, and a
symbol carved in blood indicates Rayne may be the next victim. Suspicion points
in several directions: a rival vampire prince, a mysterious stranger, and a
werehyena leader attempting to break the bank at Andreas's new casino.

Abandoning plans for a quiet life, Ari and Andreas hunt
for the killers. While Rayne may someday have to face her destiny alone, it's
up to them to make sure she's ready...and to keep her alive.

Excerpt

A crisp breeze caught
the last of the early morning fog and swirled it over the gravestones. The Olde
Town cemetery slowly emerged from the mist, its silent memorial to the dead
marred by an unusual amount of activity. A uniformed Riverdale cop completed a
final loop of bright yellow tape around several stone vaults and two small
crabapple trees. CS techs snapped photos and set out evidence markers as they
processed the crime scene.

With a hot Styrofoam
coffee cup in each hand, Arianna Calin bumped her jeans-clad hip against the
iron entrance gate, knocking it open, and slipped inside, her footsteps
crunching the brittle September leaves. When an eerie chill nudged her senses,
she swept the scene with a sharp glance.

Nothing she hadn’t
expected. Not yet. Nothing bad enough to trigger her witch alarms. But then, it
was a graveyard. The remnants of so many dead souls could mask a great deal.

She ducked under a high
section of the bright tape and focused on the blond man in jeans and a dark
gray sweatshirt crouched beside a still form. “ME’s not here yet?” she asked.

Lt. Ryan Foster, her
partner from the all-human Riverdale Police Department, looked up and stood,
his blue eyes lighting on the cups in her hands. “On his way. One of those for
me?”

A smile touched her
lips, and she handed him one, withholding further comment until he’d taken his
first jolt of caffeine. “Dispatch said it was a stabbing. Human female victim.
Is the suspect one of mine?” As a supernatural cop and guardian for Riverdale’s
Olde Town district, Ari wouldn’t be notified of an RDPD case unless the
Otherworld was involved. Usually that meant vampires or werewolves—the
predominant species in town—had run amok

.

“I’m not sure….” Ryan
rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Sorry to drag you out so early on a hunch, but
I have a weird feeling about this one.”

Ari nearly choked on
her coffee. “Oh, no you don’t. That’s my line. There’s only room for one of us
with spidey senses in this partnership.”

“Cop instincts,” he
corrected. His early-morning face was grumpy, displaying his constant annoyance
with things he didn’t understand. “It works for us mere mortals.”

“OK. Show me. What have
you got?” She stepped around him, the humor slipping from her lips at first
sight of the victim.

“Judge for yourself if
something doesn’t feel off.”

Vivid red blood stood
in stark contrast to the middle-aged woman’s light lemon sweater. Not a typical
stabbing…her throat had been slashed, leaving a spray pattern of arterial blood
on the fading grass around her and a glistening trail down the sides of a
gaping wound. It had soaked her neckline.

Ari’s nostrils flared,
taking in the sharp, metallic scent and seeking something more, whatever had
triggered Ryan’s reaction. All kidding aside, working with him for eight years
meant she trusted his gut feelings almost as much as her magic.

Bio

Ally Shields grew up in the Midwest along the Mississippi River, still considers herself "a river rat," and currently resides near Des Moines. After a career in law and juvenile justice, she turned to full-time fiction writing in 2009. Her first urban fantasy, Awakening the Fire (Guardian Witch #1) was published in 2012, and she currently has thirteen published novels. She loves to travel in the US and abroad and incorporates many of those settings into her books. Ms. Shields enjoys chatting with readers through her website/social media and can frequently be found on Twitter.

Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Today is the promo blast for Embers of Fire by Ally Shields! This is a continuation series from her amazing Guardian Witch series so you're gonna want to make sure you check this out! Check out the schedule and stay tuned for the upcoming review tour with a giveaway!

Following
the defeat of the vampire elders, Guardian fire witch Arianna Calin and vampire
prince Andreas De Luca are considering moving to his estates in Italy to raise
their daughter in its idyllic setting. As if being descended from two powerful
witch bloodlines wasn't challenging enough, Rayne was born with a mysterious
star tattoo on her shoulder. Her parents suspect she is the Chosen, the focus
of the Star of Esielen prophecy. But that's something to worry about in the
distant future. Isn't it? After all, their child may be precocious, but she is
only five.

Then
the murders begin. The stench of demonic activity hangs over Olde Town, and a
symbol carved in blood indicates Rayne may be the next victim. Suspicion points
in several directions: a rival vampire prince, a mysterious stranger, and a
werehyena leader attempting to break the bank at Andreas's new casino.

Abandoning plans for a quiet life, Ari and Andreas hunt
for the killers. While Rayne may someday have to face her destiny alone, it's
up to them to make sure she's ready...and to keep her alive.

Excerpt:

A crisp
breeze caught the last of the early morning fog and swirled it over the
gravestones. The Olde Town cemetery slowly emerged from the mist, its silent
memorial to the dead marred by an unusual amount of activity. A uniformed
Riverdale cop completed a final loop of bright yellow tape around several stone
vaults and two small crabapple trees. CS techs snapped photos and set out evidence
markers as they processed the crime scene.

With a
hot Styrofoam coffee cup in each hand, Arianna Calin bumped her jeans-clad hip
against the iron entrance gate, knocking it open, and slipped inside, her
footsteps crunching the brittle September leaves. When an eerie chill nudged
her senses, she swept the scene with a sharp glance.

Nothing
she hadn’t expected. Not yet. Nothing bad enough to trigger her witch alarms.
But then, it was a graveyard. The remnants of so many dead souls could mask a
great deal.

She
ducked under a high section of the bright tape and focused on the blond man in
jeans and a dark gray sweatshirt crouched beside a still form. “ME’s not here
yet?” she asked.

Lt.
Ryan Foster, her partner from the all-human Riverdale Police Department, looked
up and stood, his blue eyes lighting on the cups in her hands. “On his way. One
of those for me?”

A smile
touched her lips, and she handed him one, withholding further comment until
he’d taken his first jolt of caffeine. “Dispatch said it was a stabbing. Human
female victim. Is the suspect one of mine?” As a supernatural cop and guardian
for Riverdale’s Olde Town district, Ari wouldn’t be notified of an RDPD case
unless the Otherworld was involved. Usually that meant vampires or werewolves—the
predominant species in town—had run amok

.

“I’m
not sure….” Ryan rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Sorry to drag you out so early
on a hunch, but I have a weird feeling about this one.”

Ari
nearly choked on her coffee. “Oh, no you don’t. That’s my line. There’s only
room for one of us with spidey senses in this partnership.”

“Cop
instincts,” he corrected. His early-morning face was grumpy, displaying his
constant annoyance with things he didn’t understand. “It works for us mere
mortals.”

“OK.
Show me. What have you got?” She stepped around him, the humor slipping from
her lips at first sight of the victim.

“Judge
for yourself if something doesn’t feel off.”

Vivid
red blood stood in stark contrast to the middle-aged woman’s light lemon
sweater. Not a typical stabbing…her throat had been slashed, leaving a spray
pattern of arterial blood on the fading grass around her and a glistening trail
down the sides of a gaping wound. It had soaked her neckline.

Ari’s
nostrils flared, taking in the sharp, metallic scent and seeking something
more, whatever had triggered Ryan’s reaction. All kidding aside, working with
him for eight years meant she trusted his gut feelings almost as much as her
magic.

From
Examiner’s Recommended Women in Horror comes THE MARKER CHRONICLES by Danielle
DeVor. The First Trilogy contains books 1 – 3. Now, for a limited time, save
BIG by buying this special bundle deal at a killer price!

**********

SORROW’S POINT
(Book 1)Not All Exorcists
are Equal....One is Marked

When defrocked ex-priest,
Jimmy Holiday, agrees to help an old friend with his sick daughter, he doesn’t
expect the horrors that await him. Blackmoor, his friend’s new residence, rests
upon the outskirts of the town of Sorrow’s Point. The mansion’s history of
magic, mayhem, and death makes it almost a living thing – a haunted mansion
straight out of a Stephen King novel. Jimmy must decide if the young girl,
Lucy, is only ill, or if the haunting of the house and her apparent possession
are real.

After the house appears to
affect him as well with colors of magic dancing before his eyes, rooms warded
by a witch, and a ring of power in his voice, Jimmy is met by a transient who
tells him he has “the Mark.” Whatever being “marked” means, Jimmy doesn’t care.
All he wants to do is help Lucy. But, helping Lucy means performing an
exorcism.

**********

SORROW’S EDGE (Book
2)

Uncovering The
Truth…Will Take An Exorcist

Jimmy Holiday, defrocked
priest turned exorcist, is trying to get his life in order. With his on-again
off-again witchy girlfriend moving in, the spirit of the little girl from his
last exorcism hanging around, and a secret organization of exorcists hounding
him, Jimmy equals stressed.

When a stranger calls in
the middle of the night asking for help with a possession, Jimmy is about to
land in a mess of trouble. Especially since the man on the phone claims to have
gotten his number from Jimmy’s old mentor. Too bad his mentor has been dead for
years.

After a mysterious silver
flask arrives at his doorstep, Jimmy is left with two options: either ignore
the newest enigma the universe has tossed him, or listen to Lucy and travel to
Arizona to solve the mystery before all hell breaks loose…again.

**********

SORROW’S TURN (Book
3)

Some things are
worse than demons.

Jimmy Holiday, reluctant
exorcist, is finally getting the help he needs from the higher-ups. The Order
of Markers is sending him to the Vatican’s exorcism school. Now, he’ll receive
the training he should have gotten at the beginning. One problem, someone wants
to sabotage him.

When his time at the school
is cut short, Jimmy receives an interesting new case. It is the assignment that
no one wants—a corpse has come back to life. And it isn’t a zombie.

Too bad nothing goes as
expected. Armed with his usual bag of tricks, Jimmy thinks everything will
eventually be all right. Well, that is until his betrayer turns out to be the
person he trusts most.

**********

Bio

Named one of the Examiner’s 2014 Women in Horror: 93 Horror Authors you Need to Read Right Now, Danielle DeVor has been spinning the spider webs, or rather, the keyboard for more frights and oddities. She spent her early years fantasizing about vampires and watching “Salem’s Lot” way too many times. When not writing and reading about weird things, you will find her hanging out at the nearest coffee shop, enjoying a mocha frappuccino.

Sam’s Legacy, Book Four, MacLarens of Boundary Mountain
Historical Western Romance Series

Samuel Covington, ex-Pinkerton
agent and deputy in the frontier town of Conviction, has come a
long way from his upbringing in Baltimore. His job, and a particular woman,
occupy his time and thoughts. His future is assured—until a message from home
tears it all apart.

Jinny MacLaren loves
the ranch, her family, and one particular deputy.Even though Sam’s
never said the words, she’s certain of his feelings, envisioning a future as
his wife—until the day he announces he’s leaving without a promise to return.

His future no longer belongs to him. Sam never anticipated
the news awaiting him, or the consequences of a past he’d left far behind.

Shoving painful thoughts of Sam aside, Jinny focuses on a
life without him, allowing a friendship to grow with someone else. He’s
handsome, smart, and caring, yet in Jinny’s heart, he’ll never be Sam.

As both face an uncertain future without the other, neither
anticipates the dangers stalking them.

Protecting what’s his is Sam’s calling. Reclaiming what he
left behind may prove to be the biggest challenge of his life.

Sam’s Legacy, book four in the MacLarens of Boundary
Mountain historical western Romance Series, is a stand-alone, full-length novel
with an HEA and no cliffhanger.

Excerpt

“Jinny,
let me explain.” Sam tried to turn her toward him, feeling her resist. “There
are reasons I must go.”

She
refused to look at him, let him see how much his leaving hurt. She’d been a
fool to dream about Sam, hoping someday he’d feel the same. “I’m certain there
are, and I respect that you believe you must leave.”

Looking
around, he eased her between two buildings, out of the range of prying eyes and
ears. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he held steady, even as she twisted
to leave.

“Look
at me, Jinny.” He waited until she stopped squirming, her reluctant gaze
meeting his. “I don’t want to leave.
It’s something I have to do. You were
the reason I stayed beyond the time I’d agreed to with Brodie.”

Her
eyes widened. “I don’t understand. Why must you go now?”

Letting
his hands slip from Jinny’s shoulders to stroke her arms, he felt her shiver,
his own body tightening. A life with her was what he wanted. He’d thought of
little else the last few months, yet it may now be out of his control.

His
resolve began to slip as she moved closer, her feelings for him clear on her
face. Even as his hands moved to her back, he knew it was a mistake. Drawing
her to him, he leaned down, brushing a soft kiss across her lips. Seeing the
intensity in her eyes, feeling her hands tighten on his arms, he took her mouth
again, letting passion take control.

A
thrill rushed through him as he realized she knew little of what was happening.
He doubted she’d been kissed before, yet her response was immediate. Moving his
lips across her jaw, trailing kisses down her neck, he felt a shudder rush
through her.

“Sam…”

Her
soft plea brought an unwelcome flash of sanity. Placing one more kiss on her
lips, he pulled Jinny close, tucking her head below his chin.

“There
are things you don’t know about me. I wish it could be different. You know I’d
stay if I could.”

Her
body stiffened at his whispered words. Moving her hands to his chest, she
pushed away. Clearing her throat, Jinny took another step back. “I should go.”

“I’ll
walk with you.”

“Nae.
It would be better if I go alone.” Taking a few hesitant steps, she stopped.
“When will you be leaving?”

His
throat worked as he sucked in a slow breath. “As soon as a decision has been
made on the prisoners. I can’t leave Brodie with just two deputies.”

“A few
days then.” Her voice was devoid of all emotion. “Then I won’t see you again.”
She tried to smile, but couldn’t manage it. “I wish you the best, Sam. Always the
best.” Without waiting for him to respond, she hurried away, leaving him
feeling a loss greater than he’d ever known.

Bio

Shirleen Davies writes romance—historical,
contemporary, and romantic suspense. She grew up in Southern California,
attended Oregon State University, and has degrees from San Diego State
University and the University of Maryland. During the day she provides
consulting services to small and mid-sized businesses. But her real passion is
writing emotionally charged stories of flawed people who find redemption
through love and acceptance. She now
lives with her husband in a beautiful town in northern Arizona.

Welcome to Burnt River, a new
series of Contemporary Western Romance stories set in the fictional town of
Burnt River, Montana. Brought to you by Shirleen Davies, Peggy L Henderson, Kay
P. Dawson, Tristi Pinkston, and Kate Cambridge.

Thorn’s Journey, Book Two, Burnt River
Contemporary Western Romance Series, by Shirleen Davies.

Thornton “Thorn” Macklin, ex-Special Forces sergeant, has returned home to
focus on his future. Scorpion Custom Motorcycles is one of the two dreams he
pushed aside when he left Burnt River. The second dream? Well, it died long
ago.

Grace Jackson works hard to be successful, trying to forget the one great
mistake from her past. Returning to Burnt River to work for the family business
forces her to confront her future—as well as the man who shattered her heart.

Being close to his brothers, helping at the
ranch, and working with lifelong friends is exactly what Thorn needs. The last
person he expects to see is the woman who vanished from his life without a
word. Now she sits in her plush office down the street, resurrecting emotions,
as well as memories he’d buried long ago.

Not only must he confront his feelings for
Grace, he and his friends face another danger. Someone wants their new business
to fail, and isn’t above putting people at risk to achieve this goal.

Guarding against threats is what Thorn does
best. Protecting his heart from the woman he’s never forgotten is another
matter.

Could coming home, and the hope of a second
chance, be his ultimate journey?

Thorn’s
Journey, book two in the Burnt River Contemporary Western Romance Series, is a
full-length novel with an HEA and no cliffhanger.

Excerpt:

“Mind if
I join you?”

She
jumped, startled at the familiar voice. Twisting around, she saw Thorn a few
feet away, a bag from Evie’s in his hand. Pushing aside the lump in her throat,
she gestured to the other side of the table. “Go ahead.” Picking up her drink,
Grace did her best to ignore him and the butterflies now lodged in her stomach.

Unwrapping
his sandwich, Thorn couldn’t seem to move his gaze away from Grace, studying
her features for signs of the girl he once loved. Taking a bite, he chewed
slowly, making her squirm under his intense gaze.

“Did you
follow me?” She took another bite, but the sandwich now tasted more like
cardboard than chicken salad.

“Nope.”

She
looked around, expecting to see Josh and Tony walk up any minute. Grabbing her
drink, she took a long sip, deciding the best way to deal with him being so
close was to talk.

“I eat
here all the time. Two or three times a week, in fact. Sometimes there are
families with children, but most days, it’s quiet, like today. I’ve even
brought my fishing rod a few times, although I’ve yet to catch anything. Seems
the older I get, the less luck I have. I…” Her voice faded when she saw Thorn
raise his hand.

“Do I
make you nervous?” He wadded up the sandwich paper, easily tossing it into a
can several feet away.

He
mimicked her behavior, crossing his arms, although his lips turned up at the
corners. “Then why are you babbling? I don’t remember you being so chatty.”
Some perverse pleasure washed over him when he saw her face redden, her eyes
going wide.

“It’s
called small talk, Thorn. It’s what people do when they’re trying to break the
ice, be sociable. You should try it sometime.”

He studied
her a moment, his gaze hooded. “I’ve seen you naked, Grace. Several times. Do
you really think small talk is necessary?”

Without
an inkling of warning, she picked up her cup and threw the contents at him.
Shock came in an instant, followed by disbelief, then a sputtering laugh as he
stood, letting the liquid sluice off him.

Grabbing
her trash, she tossed it into the can, then picked up her purse. “You’re such a
jerk, Thorn. I don’t know how I ever loved you. Leaving here was the best
decision I ever made.” Her stomach twisted when his smile disappeared, replaced
with something she couldn’t quite define.

Standing,
Thorn stepped beside her, leaning down to whisper in her ear. “You’re right. My
love would never have been enough for you. I’m all the things your father
thought—and worse.” Straightening, he adjusted his sunglasses and strode away,
not bothering to check her reaction. If he had, he’d have seen the indignation
of a moment before replaced with grief and regret, tears welling in her eyes at
the love they’d lost and the pain that replaced it.

Bio:

Shirleen
Davies writes romance—historical, contemporary, and romantic suspense. She grew
up in Southern California, attended Oregon State University, and has degrees
from San Diego State University and the University of Maryland. During the day
she provides consulting services to small and mid-sized businesses. But her
real passion is writing emotionally charged stories of flawed people who find
redemption through love and acceptance.
She now lives with her husband in a beautiful town in northern Arizona.